Sanitary napkins whose rear portions include ridge-like elevated parts are known to the art, for instance from U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,403, U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,380 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,824. The raised ridge-like parts are well adapted to the female anatomy and therewith reduce the risk of menstruation fluid running along the upper side of the napkin to the edges thereof and therewith soiling the undergarments of the wearer. The ridge-like parts also prevent fluid/liquid running backwards when the wearer lies on her back. When wearing such a napkin, the ridge-like part extends between the buttocks of the wearer, therewith causing the napkin to be held safely in position and preventing the napkin from slipping to one side in use. In the case of the known napkins, the ridge-like raised part is either obtained by bending the absorbent body into a longitudinally extending fold and then fastening together those parts of the backing sheet that abut one another in the fold in one or more places, or by including a profiled insert in the absorbent body. When folding the absorbent body in accordance with the first-mentioned method, the absorbent body is liable to break or be thinned out along the fold, therewith impairing the liquid transport properties of the body. The inclusion of an insert complicates the manufacture of the napkin.
The present invention aims to provide an absorbent article of the aforesaid kind in which the ridge-like part curves gently and has been produced without including an insert in the absorbent body.